Drawing Lines
by southern cross
Summary: Finding Mina would only be the beginning. Luke had no idea what he was going to say to if he did find her, but he had to try.


Love this show and I love the potential for this pairing. I hope I stayed true to who they are and would love to hear any thoughts. I own nothing and mean no harm so please enjoy.

This could only end in pain. There might be blood, there would most definitely pain, and he could only wish on the brightest fucking star that there wouldn't be death.

Killing Mina was not something he wanted to happen.

That first week that she had been gone he had simply tried to pretend, as had they all, that she was simply avoiding their presence out of shame. He certainly had spent enough hours camped on her door step out of guilt.

After all it was his stupidity that had set the pieces in place that had forced her hand, had drawn out her hunger, and the weight of it was as oppressive as ever.

The second week had come and Ruby had speculated that maybe Mina had given in, that she had succumbed to the bloodlust, and that maybe they might want to think about changing the combination on the vault.

He had shouted that night, ranted and raved and defended Mina, but that hadn't stopped Galvin from checking the post for any unusual nighttime activities.

That third week he had been doing the avoiding. Ducking only two people was a harder job than he would have thought but then he was 'Luke the Slayer' and it was harder to avoid whilst carrying that title.

Having given it his best shot he put aside the petulance and began to think. A plan began to form, he wanted to see Mina, could feel the pull in his bones to find her.

His attempt to track her down is what had brought him here, to this surprisingly plush basement. Finished walls or not a prison was still a prison when you were handcuffed and told to stay put.

A night came and then a day and he began to feel frustration setting in. He had been fed and amused; the TV had more inches than he thought possible, but no Mina.

Galvin would be freaking about now, Ruby too, Luke knew that would come up with some story for his Mom, but he felt the guilt at having worried them. How could he not?

He hadn't told him where he was going or why and they were bound to worry.

After the first night the key to the handcuffs had been thrown to him, he had relished the feeling of his fingers for the first few seconds and immediately set to finding a way out.

Apart from a small bathroom, with a shower he could hardly turn around in, there were no obvious or hidden exits other than the steel door his captors had locked behind them.

Indulging in a hotter than responsible shower, Luke took time getting clean, wishing he had something other than his same clothes to change back into. He might be locked up but that was no reason to go around like a slouch.

No sooner had he tied the towel tightly around his waist did he feel it. Someone was watching him. Grabbing for another towel, which he used to quickly wipe the water off his face, he glanced around for a weapon, his gun would have been nice, but at that moment a strong stick would have sufficed.

Strange, his eyes fell on the sink where his clothes had been, rumpled and waiting for him, only to find them gone, replaced with a fresh pair of jeans, drawers and shirt.

"I thought you might like something a little fresher," Mina's voice carried through the bathroom door and he all but flew in haste to get dressed; just his luck to find her and miss her because of a shower.

No sooner had the last button on his fly been done before he was out the door, "Mina," his voice was a mixture of relief and awe.

"Hello Luke," when she turned towards him, flashing him her most brilliant smile, it hit him like a brick; she was looking at him, seeing him, and-"You're still feeding."

Her smile dimmed, the light in her seeing eyes was not quite as bright and a part of him regretted the tone of his voice. Disappointment and accusation were not what he wanted to convey, he took a deep breath, "I was worried," he hoped she could hear that he meant it.

"I know," her smile softened but her eyes, God, had they always been so blue? He couldn't stop staring at her.

"It's like seeing me for the first time isn't it?" Mina was as perceptive as ever, he nodded, smiling, the tension easing between them.

"And what about you, seeing me," he turned around slowly, "like what you see?"

"Always," he laughed with her but wondered at her choice of words.

"Come, sit and eat and we can talk," she pointed to the coffee table where there were sandwiches and salad and what he hoped was a stout ale in one of those brown bottles.

"Alright," he sat on the sofa, eyeing her as she sat delicately on the chair across from him. Every movement was as deliberate as ever, but they were ever that much more relaxed, Mina Harker had always exuded a grace and with her sight back she was positively fluid.

"I imagine you have lots of questions," he nodded around a big bite of roast beef and Swiss, no sense in wasting a good meal, "and I imagine Galvin is getting the gear together and Ruby," he grinned at her and she laughed, "yes, I am sure Ruby is just pleased as punch at this turn of events."

He ate quietly, Mina filled in the silence with tales of her travels, how much fun she was having seeing the world again. There were so many changes to London since she had last seen it and he couldn't even begin to comprehend what it was like for her.

"Luke," he looked across the table to her, beer bottle stopping at his lips, he met her gaze, and it was still so eerie to have her gaze back at him, "Luke I don't think I am going to be able to give this up right now."

The beer was cool and refreshing and he killed what was left in the bottle, his eyes never leaving hers. There had always been this possibility, Ruby had thrown it out there several times, even Galvin once, Luke had known that when he set out to find her she might not want to be found or give up what she had rediscovered.

"I figured as much," he shrugged and set his empty bottle on the table, settling back into the cushion, he took in her frown and couldn't help the smirk.

"But why go through all the trouble? I've been watching you, I know how hard you looked, how much time spent underground," she stood, her pacing amusing him with each passing second.

"If you genuinely thought that I wasn't going to give up my sight, or my feeding, than why?" her hands dropped to her hips and he noticed, not for the first time, just how attractive Mina was, although now he didn't feel quite so guilty about checking her out when he knew he might get caught; seemed much more fair that way.

"Luke!" she snapped her fingers at him and her frown was something to behold.

"Right, sorry," Luke stood, running is fingers through his drying hair, "I could give you this whole speech about teamwork and acceptance, and don't even get me started on my guilty conscience over the whole 'trust Galvin' incident," he waved off her interruption, "but I won't. Those are my issues to work through and I will."

Moving around the table, he stood an arm's length away, "Are you drinking from anyone I wouldn't smite?"

She looked taken aback by the question and it was exactly what he was hoping for, "Of course not," she was positively offended at the idea and that was all he needed to hear.

"Than I don't see what the problem is."

Mina opened her mouth, closed it just as quickly, than opened it again, "You-I," he grinned, savoring the speechless Mina Harker, it was a sight to behold.

"SO," he clapped his hands, she jumped about a foot and he bit back a laugh, "as much as I've enjoyed my stay here, I'm thinking it's about time we get back, Mum will be thinking something is up soon. No telling what Ruby told her to cover for me."

Mina was still staring at him.

"I cannot believe it can be that simple," she sounded about as broken by his words as he was excited about it, prompting his frown.

"For me, Mina, it is that simple," this time he did not keep her at arm's length, taking first her right hand than her left until she let him pull her into a hug.

"But Galvin," she mumbled against his shirt.

Galvin; Galvin could go either way on the issue. For Luke though, his mind was made up, he wanted Mina back in their group, needed her support and quite frankly her abilities and knowledge were as priceless as Galvin's if not more so.

No one knew the stacks like she did and it would be far easier for Mina to move amongst those who walk the gray line.

It would be to no one's benefit to lie or pretend the choice wouldn't be easy or pretty, "I don't know what he's going to think or say," Luke pulled back enough to look clearly at her, "but I've made up my mind and he's just going to have to choose his side."

She studied him, her hands slipped up between them and she cupped his cheeks, he didn't think any look had ever been as intimate or as thorough as hers.

Whatever she had seen had convinced her.

"OK, Luke, OK," things moved rather quickly after that.

Mina dispatched her son's nest to wherever vampires went and gathered up her belongings, which Luke helped her put into the truck of a gorgeous Camaro hot off the assembly line.

"American muscle, really?" Mina had laughed at that, even as she tossed him the keys.

"Just drive her and tell me why they brought this baby back," Mina's safe house was about an hour outside London proper, he gunned the engine and decided to take the long way home.


End file.
